Letters to the editor for Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Published: Wednesday, February 27, 2013 at 5:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, February 26, 2013 at 7:03 p.m.

Picking up slack (and trash)

My husband and I have been picking up trash in the last four years on our daily walks along south Williamson Boulevard in Port Orange, between the bridge and the intersection with Taylor Road. We promised ourselves that we would stop when we reached a total of 5,000 bags. We have accumulated those 5,000 bags — 5,005, to be exact. When we get home, we write the number of bags on our calendar to keep track of the number.

We are in our late 70s and early 80s, so we hope that some younger people who walk that way would take over that task to keep Port Orange clean and beautiful.

We find napkins, paper cups, lids, straws, paper plates, plastic utensils, old socks, shoes, CDs, broken cellphones, old shirts, pants, underwear — and other unmentionable items. You need plastic gloves, of course, to do the job. We use the plastic bags that come with our newspapers to save the expense of plastic gloves.

Apparently there is an organization on south Williamson that is supposed to "Keep Volusia Beautiful, Adopt a Road" — at least according to the big sign. From now on, they will have to take care of their "adoptee," since we are no longer available to "keep Volusia beautiful."

JEANNETTE and STEVE MATATICS

Port Orange

Parents have the power

The Feb. 21 article addressing an effort by the Florida Senate to rehash an issue from last year's session was, once again, most informative. As a retired educator, I was particularly interested in a bill that would have let parents trigger turnaround plans for failing public schools through a petition drive.

When the bill failed, then-Senate President Mike Haridopolos said, "It's an idea ... whose time will come: parental empowerment."

The latest sponsor, Sen. Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland, states, "When you give parents the opportunity to get involved and do what's best for their kids, it's a win."

I am compelled to remind Sen. Stargel that parents have always been empowered to participate in their children's education. I list a few well-worn ideas that seem to have gone by the wayside in recent times: 1) Be sure that children have completed their homework and help them if they are having trouble completing assignments; 2) be sure to read all communications from your children's schools and become familiar with the school calendar; 3) attend PTA meetings; 4) attend all parent-teacher conferences; 5) communicate with your children's teachers with any questions or concerns 6) don't allow your children to sit for endless hours in front of the TV with video game controllers in their hands — thumb dexterity will not get them those great jobs in the future!

Perhaps every school in the state should be required to provide parent-teacher association attendance figures to the Legislature prior to parents being given the privilege of petitioning for spending taxpayer money on for-profit schools.

Parents, like the Legislature, must be partners with our public schools. Unfortunately the Florida Legislature, with its present membership, wishes only to dismantle the public schools of Florida.

WILLIAM A. GORA

New Smyrna Beach

Get registration online

In an age in which people can pay their bills, buy almost anything they want and even start their cars via electronic gadgets, it is high time our voter registration system joined the 21st century. Paper-only voter registration is antiquated, costly and by no means free of errors. All signs suggest that the system should be modernized, via the creation of an online voter registration system.

As a resident of Ormond Beach, I am eager to see improvements made to all facets of our elections system, and the creation of an online voter registration system should be one of the first places we address. Currently, 12 other states have online voter registration (with three more in the process of implementing it), and they have found that it saves a significant amount of time and money. Furthermore, online voter registration can eliminate the human errors and mistakes that occur from misinterpreting handwritten forms.

I join with the League of Women Voters of Florida in urging the Legislature to help Florida's elections into the modern age with the creation of an online voter registration system.

LANI VAN PETTEN

Ormond Beach

A solution for long lines

The appalling and embarrassing voting situation in Florida can easily be remedied by all Florida voters. If you stand in a voting line longer than 20 minutes, you should vote against every incumbent on the ballot regardless of party affiliation. Yes, vote the new person into office — the existing ones couldn't or wouldn't end the long voting lines, but maybe the new elected officials will come to our assistance.

We deserve better, and now is the time for all elected officials to resolve this deplorable situation.

MICHAEL GILMORE

Ormond Beach

Beyond political theater

Your comments on Sen. MarcoRubio's water-drinking incident missed the mark-o, and just added to the media focus you seem to take aim at. Maybe the focus should have been on the teleprompter, since he could not take his eyes off it while grabbing for that bottle of water. (Reliance on a teleprompter has made both good jokes and bad news the past four years. I agree that the media should be more concerned with content.)

And I trust the American people would remember, and you would report, profound statements made that night, but the real story was that there was nothing of substance or newsworthy to remember. Hence, the joke wins. He did remind us that former President George W. Bush was not responsible for our financial crisis. Now you encourage him for exploiting the water bottle issue for fundraising purposes. Maybe next he will appear on Letterman to keep the joke running. Does he want to be a leader or just another pit bull with lipstick, never to be taken seriously again?

We have serious problems that need to be solved by our leaders, and the media has a responsibility to report on what really matters. News and entertainment is now the same thing. It is OK for comedians to make jokes, but our leaders should deal with our problems soberly and our news outlets should focus on real journalism. I think that was what you were trying to say in your editorial, but you actually participated in the folly. Maybe The News-Journal should take its own advice and begin reporting on the real news and promote nonpartisan discussion with true substance.

JIM SNYDER

Daytona Beach Shores

The givers and the takers

Here's a short lesson in economics. There are basically two systems: capitalism and socialism. Each is a combination of economics and politics. Unfortunately both are rife with corruption, including lies, indoctrination and money from others who share those theories. People with great amounts of money, no matter how they got it, use that amount to buy influence with the politicians who make the decisions.

Capitalism provides one the opportunity and freedom to make one's own choices and to benefit from those choices. Socialism, on the other hand, removes choice from the equation. Big government makes the choices as to what the citizenry receives and when to take it away. It grossly taxes working citizens and makes decisions as to who gets what. In the current failed economy, there are many out of work through no fault of their own — but others chose not to work, yet excel in "playing the system."

In socialism, however, those who make the decisions about the economy take their money off the top and drain it from what could be used for the citizens. The minions get what's left. Power and control are the focus. The few at the top create their own society, much like what happened in the USSR, where the power-political elite had their own hospitals, schools, resorts, communities, etc., while the masses had five-story cold-water walkups and were forced to wait in lines blocks long for a loaf of bread.

Here in the U.S. rules and regulations determine who can do what, according to demands of faceless bureaucrats who got their jobs related to their philosophies. The end is what political elitists want to happen, not what is best for the country or its people.

<p class="bold allcaps">Picking up slack (and trash)</p>
<p>My husband and I have been picking up trash in the last four years on our daily walks along south Williamson Boulevard in Port Orange, between the bridge and the intersection with Taylor Road. We promised ourselves that we would stop when we reached a total of 5,000 bags. We have accumulated those 5,000 bags &mdash; 5,005, to be exact. When we get home, we write the number of bags on our calendar to keep track of the number. </p><p>We are in our late 70s and early 80s, so we hope that some younger people who walk that way would take over that task to keep Port Orange clean and beautiful. </p><p>We find napkins, paper cups, lids, straws, paper plates, plastic utensils, old socks, shoes, CDs, broken cellphones, old shirts, pants, underwear &mdash; and other unmentionable items. You need plastic gloves, of course, to do the job. We use the plastic bags that come with our newspapers to save the expense of plastic gloves. </p><p>Apparently there is an organization on south Williamson that is supposed to "Keep Volusia Beautiful, Adopt a Road" &mdash; at least according to the big sign. From now on, they will have to take care of their "adoptee," since we are no longer available to "keep Volusia beautiful."</p><p><b>JEANNETTE and STEVE MATATICS</p><p>Port Orange</b></p><h3>Parents have the power</h3>
<p>The Feb. 21 article addressing an effort by the Florida Senate to rehash an issue from last year's session was, once again, most informative. As a retired educator, I was particularly interested in a bill that would have let parents trigger turnaround plans for failing public schools through a petition drive. </p><p>When the bill failed, then-Senate President Mike Haridopolos said, "It's an idea ... whose time will come: parental empowerment." </p><p>The latest sponsor, Sen. Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland, states, "When you give parents the opportunity to get involved and do what's best for their kids, it's a win." </p><p>I am compelled to remind Sen. Stargel that parents have always been empowered to participate in their children's education. I list a few well-worn ideas that seem to have gone by the wayside in recent times: 1) Be sure that children have completed their homework and help them if they are having trouble completing assignments; 2) be sure to read all communications from your children's schools and become familiar with the school calendar; 3) attend PTA meetings; 4) attend all parent-teacher conferences; 5) communicate with your children's teachers with any questions or concerns 6) don't allow your children to sit for endless hours in front of the TV with video game controllers in their hands &mdash; thumb dexterity will not get them those great jobs in the future! </p><p>Perhaps every school in the state should be required to provide parent-teacher association attendance figures to the Legislature prior to parents being given the privilege of petitioning for spending taxpayer money on for-profit schools. </p><p>Parents, like the Legislature, must be partners with our public schools. Unfortunately the Florida Legislature, with its present membership, wishes only to dismantle the public schools of Florida.</p><p><b>WILLIAM A. GORA</p><p>New Smyrna Beach</b></p><h3>Get registration online</h3>
<p>In an age in which people can pay their bills, buy almost anything they want and even start their cars via electronic gadgets, it is high time our voter registration system joined the 21st century. Paper-only voter registration is antiquated, costly and by no means free of errors. All signs suggest that the system should be modernized, via the creation of an online voter registration system. </p><p>As a resident of Ormond Beach, I am eager to see improvements made to all facets of our elections system, and the creation of an online voter registration system should be one of the first places we address. Currently, 12 other states have online voter registration (with three more in the process of implementing it), and they have found that it saves a significant amount of time and money. Furthermore, online voter registration can eliminate the human errors and mistakes that occur from misinterpreting handwritten forms. </p><p>I join with the League of Women Voters of Florida in urging the Legislature to help Florida's elections into the modern age with the creation of an online voter registration system.</p><p> </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><b>LANI VAN PETTEN</p><p>Ormond Beach</b></p><h3>A solution for long lines</h3>
<p>The appalling and embarrassing voting situation in Florida can easily be remedied by all Florida voters. If you stand in a voting line longer than 20 minutes, you should vote against every incumbent on the ballot regardless of party affiliation. Yes, vote the new person into office &mdash; the existing ones couldn't or wouldn't end the long voting lines, but maybe the new elected officials will come to our assistance. </p><p>We deserve better, and now is the time for all elected officials to resolve this deplorable situation.</p><p><b>MICHAEL GILMORE</p><p>Ormond Beach</b></p><h3>Beyond political theater</h3>
<p>Your comments on Sen. MarcoRubio's water-drinking incident missed the mark-o, and just added to the media focus you seem to take aim at. Maybe the focus should have been on the teleprompter, since he could not take his eyes off it while grabbing for that bottle of water. (Reliance on a teleprompter has made both good jokes and bad news the past four years. I agree that the media should be more concerned with content.) </p><p>And I trust the American people would remember, and you would report, profound statements made that night, but the real story was that there was nothing of substance or newsworthy to remember. Hence, the joke wins. He did remind us that former President George W. Bush was not responsible for our financial crisis. Now you encourage him for exploiting the water bottle issue for fundraising purposes. Maybe next he will appear on Letterman to keep the joke running. Does he want to be a leader or just another pit bull with lipstick, never to be taken seriously again? </p><p>We have serious problems that need to be solved by our leaders, and the media has a responsibility to report on what really matters. News and entertainment is now the same thing. It is OK for comedians to make jokes, but our leaders should deal with our problems soberly and our news outlets should focus on real journalism. I think that was what you were trying to say in your editorial, but you actually participated in the folly. Maybe The News-Journal should take its own advice and begin reporting on the real news and promote nonpartisan discussion with true substance.</p><p><b>JIM SNYDER</p><p>Daytona Beach Shores</b></p><h3>The givers and the takers</h3>
<p>Here's a short lesson in economics. There are basically two systems: capitalism and socialism. Each is a combination of economics and politics. Unfortunately both are rife with corruption, including lies, indoctrination and money from others who share those theories. People with great amounts of money, no matter how they got it, use that amount to buy influence with the politicians who make the decisions. </p><p>Capitalism provides one the opportunity and freedom to make one's own choices and to benefit from those choices. Socialism, on the other hand, removes choice from the equation. Big government makes the choices as to what the citizenry receives and when to take it away. It grossly taxes working citizens and makes decisions as to who gets what. In the current failed economy, there are many out of work through no fault of their own &mdash; but others chose not to work, yet excel in "playing the system." </p><p>In socialism, however, those who make the decisions about the economy take their money off the top and drain it from what could be used for the citizens. The minions get what's left. Power and control are the focus. The few at the top create their own society, much like what happened in the USSR, where the power-political elite had their own hospitals, schools, resorts, communities, etc., while the masses had five-story cold-water walkups and were forced to wait in lines blocks long for a loaf of bread. </p><p>Here in the U.S. rules and regulations determine who can do what, according to demands of faceless bureaucrats who got their jobs related to their philosophies. The end is what political elitists want to happen, not what is best for the country or its people.</p><p> </p><p></p><p></p><p><b>BEATRICE SCALISE</p><p>New Smyrna Beach</b></p>